Blog

As writers we face many enemies--perfectionism, writer's block, rejection, long waits, lack of time, criticism, and many other hardships.

But amidst all the obstacles we battle, there's one sly enemy that creeps in undetected. Often we don't realize we're fighting it until it's slithered in, wrapped around us, and begun to squeeze the life out of us.

That enemy is burnout.

Burnout can happen to the best of us. And it occurs in a variety of ways.

Perhaps we no longer find joy in the writing process. Maybe we don't have fresh ideas anymore. We may even feel like the act of juggling writing with all our other responsibilities is just too tiring.

Lately, a couple of friends have expressed burnout with blogging. They've indicated that they don't really know what to say, are tired of posting, and wish they could stop.

By the time we notice that burnout has us in its death grip, we've lost our energy and enthusiasm for all the things we once embraced and accomplished with gusto. Instead burnout leaves us drained, dry, and discouraged–often without the determination we need to stand strong and fight.

Left weak and vulnerable, burnout finally coils tighter until we have nothing left to give. And it's at that point, many writers give up altogether.

What do we do when we finally realize we're burned out, when we're at a point when we're tempted to give up (or perhaps have already fallen flat to the floor and lie comatose?)

Here are just a few things I've done over the years to alleviate or avoid burnout:

1. Take breaks from time to time. I just got back yesterday from a weeklong vacation out East. And even though it was a busy week full of hiking, swimming, shopping, and driving, it was still a break from the usual routine of my life. And after the time away, I'm ready to jump back into my to-do list with renewed energy.

2. Re-evaluate the work load. I make a point at least a couple times a year to look at everything on my plate and to decide what to keep and what to toss off. I have two main priorities during this season of my life—my family and my writing. If my outside commitments don't line up with my priorities, then they have to go.

3. Cut back on social media. Let's face it, social media can be a huge drain on a writer's time and energy. Last fall, I decided to cut back on my blogging from three times a week to two. One day may not seem significant, but it's freed up more time and energy that I can devote to other responsibilities. I can pour my heart into the two posts I write rather throwing out fluff for the sake of having more posts.

4. Chase after joy. Joy is fuel for our creativity. We have to consciously look for ways we can bring joy into our lives. Usually I find joy in the simple things of life, like drinking a fancy cup of coffee with scented candles on a rainy afternoon. Or reading an especially gripping book that brings me to tears. Or laughing deeply over something one of my children says or does.

5. Take a hiatus. If we reach rock bottom, the point where we must stop writing for the sake of our well-being or of others, that doesn't mean we have to give up our writing career forever. I took a break from writing after my twins were born. At that point, I'd been writing seriously for many years and had just started garnering interest from editors. But life got busy (to put it mildly!). And I didn't write a single word for seven whole years. The first book I wrote after my hiatus was The Preacher's Bride (which became a best seller).

My Summary: All writers battle burnout. The trick is to be aware that burnout is a very real enemy and to be on the lookout for symptoms that may indicate we're losing our joy and energy. If we notice that our life is slowly being squeezed from us, we have to make conscious steps to recapture our love of writing. Because if we don't love what we write, we can't expect anyone else to either.

What about you? Have you ever faced burnout? What helps you through the rough times? What keeps you from giving up when you hit rock bottom?

35 comments:

I think I've attempted each of the above. Regaining perspective always helps. In order to do that I live out #3. Social media has been a blessing in my life in many ways. It can also mess with my head big time.

And encouragement goes a long way. Giving and getting it. ;-)

Looks like you had a blast on vacation. We just got back from Canada. Glad my kids didn't say anything strange at the border. :D~ Wendy

Hehehe... Wendy, regarding your vacation return and your kids not saying anything at the border - I currently work insecurity at Cardiff Airport and you wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) some of the daft things folks say as they come through my section. On a couple of occasions I've had to caution folks on what they think is a funny remark regarding one of their fellow travellers or something within their luggage.

Welcome home, Wendy! In the past, we've driven through Canada to get out East (a more direct route). But with the increased strictness of the border crossings, we decided to drive the longer route this time. But boy, I remember those crossings! Sometimes they took for-ever! And they were always slightly nerve-wracking, especially never knowing what the kids might say! :-)

I have been fortunate enough to have had TWO body scans on my trip to Arizona. I hope you don't think I'm bragging.I told one customs officer "I've given birth 4 times, you think a body scan in front of 50 people is awkward? Ha!" He burst out laughing. And scanned me anyway.

I know only full well this feeling you describe. I experienced it after the April A-Z Blog Competition.Not only had I 'run dry', but I realised that without this direction of posting every day except Sunday, I was lost.So, I took a break. Now I'm easing back into the swing of things, but quite often still ponder on what to post next? The A-Z Challenge made me realise that without a focus, not only blogging, but writing in general, can become a vast ocean of ambiguity without a compass to see us through.

I think, as a blogger (I don't feel qualified enough to give myself the title of 'writer'), it is all too easy to get sucked into that mindset of, 'I must post every day or people will stop reading my blog'. It's utter rubbish. If people love, like or are just generally interested in your blog/writing, they will re-visit and read periodically.

It is very easy to wander aimlessly with blogging. I think that's why it's important to find out what we're passionate about and to focus on that. When we enjoy writing about something, we'll be more likely to blog in an engaging and memorable way. And we'll be able to attract more readers. But if we're forcing something we don't care about, then readers will sense that too.

Interesting that three of the several blogs I read each day (and I've squeezed in those in the first coherent 15min of this day) are all about writers block, burn out, and the grind of social media. And before I even began I was being nagged by that question of the moment, What In The World Will *I* Blog About Today? Maybe I just won't! :) Maybe I'll just shut the door on everything writing related but Story today. Ah. Sweet.

Maybe we all have vacation on our minds these days! Trying to squeeze in the last bit of rest and relaxation before the fall schedules begin! Either way, it's a good time to take a break and focus on writing! Happy writing! :-)

My blog is mostly about book reading and reviews, this is something I never tire of doing, sometimes I do read different type books to make it more interesting. Mystery-amish-christian fiction-un fiction and etc..I esp like stories that are historical romance. and that is why I choose Jody's books because they have actual facts that she has made into a wonderful fictional story. I have just finished reading Enduring Devotion and loved the characters , this time the Love was between sisters. I have 5 sisters so can relate well to this.Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)

Thanks for stopping by today and for the kind words about my latest book! I think you're right on track with your blog! If you love reading, then posting reviews and sharing your love of books is the perfect thing to blog about. Thanks for all you do to support authors! I appreciate it! :-)

I hear you, Jody! Three years ago I was in bed one night crying my eyes out. I also had to make a decision to lay my writing down for a season, because I had just found out we were expecting twins. I was thrilled to be given such an amazing gift, but it meant so many things would have to be sacrificed. God spoke to me then and told me that with each passing year, whether I was writing or not, my life experiences, wisdom and knowledge would someday be put to use and my writing would be much better because of it. There are seasons when we are called to lay our words down, but that doesn't mean we aren't still growing in our craft. The boys are now 2 1/2 (where does the time go?!?!) and I've picked up my writing much sooner that I had anticipated, but I believe the timing is right and God has given me a drive to do it. Sometimes I think it's because I needed a creative outlet!

Thanks for sharing your story! It seems like we have a lot in common, especially with twins! We definitely have seasons in our life where we may have to do less writing. But like you, my hiatus enriched me in SO many ways. I came back a much better writer. I know now that I don't need to be afraid of taking breaks, that in the long run, I can grow through them.

I found burnout to be an amazing bend in the road -- at least when I allowed God to direct me through the burnout. That's how I found myself on the Dark Side of the writing road (moving from writing nonfiction to fiction.)I was focused on nonfiction -- and accomplishing a lot of my goals -- when burnout brought me to my knees. When I looked up, I realized I had a choice: Continue the way I was going, or go in another direction. After resting up a bit emotionally and physically, I decided to just have some fun writing fiction -- and that became a wide open door to my first (and second) novel. Not that it wasn't a lot of hard work, too.

Thanks for sharing a bit of your story too, Beth! I love getting a glimpse into your writing journey. I'm glad you walked through the door of writing fiction! You're a talented author! My daughter is anxiously awaiting your next book! :-)

I've experienced burnout this past summer after having to meet a writing deadline and undergoing a surgical procedure. Although I'm healing and I made the deadline, I'm still tired. My enthusiasm for editing and starting new projects often wanes. I like how you say to chase after joy. If we don't actively seek out ways to be happy, how can we expect happiness to just fall upon us? Great post!

Sorry to hear about your difficult summer, Brandi. There are seasons in our lives when we experience a great deal of stress, isn't there? And we're wise to know our limitations and do what we can to alleviate those stressors. Take care of yourself!

I LOVE what comes AFTER giving in to burn-out, that stillness that seeps into the very bones. Out of it can only come something wonderfully alive...but then I'm an extremes kinda girl. I say bring on the pain so that I can experience that joy that comes in the morning.

So appreciate your voice in this industry - we're told to push and pull and move and promote and socialize and chat and make all other kinds of animal noises... then there's Jody saying "Chill, man. It's all going to be okay. Find your zone - God's designed it perfectly for you!" Okay, maybe you don't say it in those words but the message is the same.

Thanks, Becky! I appreciate the sweet words. Yes, I do think there's a lot of pressure coming from all sides. And we put a lot of pressure on ourselves too. Sometimes the industry feels crazy and chaotic. I'm glad I can share some of what I've learned through my ups and downs and be a sane voice amidst the melee! :-)

Whenever I hit burnout,on anything, I get up and walk away. I don't want to get to the point where I loathe something. When I'm working on an antique piece, and I can't take the dust and fumes another minute, I go somewhere that involves being clean and there isn't a single power tool in sight.For writing, I just close the laptop and walk away.

Hi Jody. Your post is right on time. I hit that mark today. First time in a while. It sent me into a curled-up ball. Since I'm in a writing group, I sometimes feel a bit more pressure to meet my weekly writing goal; for the past couple of days (with today as the pinacle), I've been frozen. I'm still feeling quite blah about moving forward right now (about five chapters to go in rewrite). Thanks for letting me know it's okay and even better in the long run for my writing and my life!!

I suffered this recently. I just felt so rundown when it came to blogging. The kids are going back to school next week and I decided to take a couple weeks off before then to spend time with them and concentrate on other things. So far, it's working. I'm relaxing and even starting to get ideas again. I don't plan to rush my way back though. And I, too, stick to 2 posts a week. One book review, one post about writing.

I've had to deal with a lot of burnout over the last year and a bit. I'd look at my workload of blog posts, writing schedule, editing deadlines, not to mention my day job, and just wonder how I was ever going to manage it all and still keep my sanity.

I learned to take regular breaks and not worry about having to put off one thing in favour of another, more pressing one.

I just wanted to drop by and say that I'm an avid reader of your blog and love the advice that you give - everything is rock-solid! This particular post inspired my most recent blog post in which I mentioned you and this post. Thank you!

I totally agree. Writing is one of those things you really need to do out of your passion - and if the passion wanes... Well let's say I think your advice is good. Sometimes we do need to pare back and rediscover our joy.

I haven't experienced burnout quite yet. I know I will soon though. I've been writing my butt off for the past three years and now with my blog, my writing has cranked up just to maintain my blog. I don't mind writing constantly, it's the commenting that keeps making me freak out.

I agree with Raewyn Hewitt, you must have the passion to write otherwise it's a piece of work to do. We can discover our joy and after a good break, we can rediscover why we are on this Earth for.

Hi Jody, I have to admit I have been struggling with burnout this year. I have been trying to battle through it by reading about twice what I normally read. After thirty-plus books so far this year I'm finally feeling the inspiration and have gotten the itch again. It has felt like my inner writer has been in serious need of Prozac. Thanks for the reminder that all writers get burned out.

Jason, Sorry to hear about the burnout. It happens to even the best of us if we don't catch it soon enough. I think reading is a great antidote to burnout! I'm usually inspired when I read. And even when I'm not inspired by a book, it makes me stop and question the writing and wonder what I could do different. So, yes I would agree, that reading is definitely Prozac for the inner writer! Love that! :-)